Books by genre
Top 11 fairy tale collections and retellings for kids
Fairy tales come in two kinds here: the old collections, and newer novels that retell or play with them. Older collections can be grim, with real cruelty from the original Grimm stories, so choose the edition by age. Novel retellings tend to give the princess more to do.
Titles were chosen from award winners, ALSC notable lists and long-running library favorites, then each title and author was checked against Open Library in Oct 2026. Checked 2026-10-25. Nobody paid to be here. The buy links are plain search links, not affiliate links, so Peabody earns nothing from them.
Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales
Hans Christian Andersen · Ages 8-13
The Little Mermaid, The Snow Queen, The Ugly Duckling and others, many with a melancholy edge.
Watch for: Several end sadly.
Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon
The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales
Jon Scieszka · Ages 6-10
A picture book that mixes up fairy tales and breaks every book rule. Caldecott Honor.
Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon
Ella Enchanted
Gail Carson Levine · Ages 9-13
A Cinderella retelling about a girl cursed with obedience. Newbery Honor.
Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon
The Goose Girl
Shannon Hale · Ages 10-14
A princess is betrayed and goes into hiding as a goose girl. The first of the Books of Bayern.
Watch for: Some violence.
Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon
Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin
Liesl Shurtliff · Ages 8-12
Rump has a name nobody wants and finds he has a gift for spinning gold. A funny retelling from the villain's side.
Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon
Beauty
Robin McKinley · Ages 11-15
A quiet, bookish retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Older and slower than the Disney film.
Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon
A Tale Dark and Grimm
Adam Gidwitz · Ages 8-12
Hansel and Gretel wander through other Grimm stories, narrated with warnings to the reader. Funny and bloody.
Watch for: Contains gore, abandonment and killing; the narrator warns, but check first.
Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon
Breadcrumbs
Anne Ursu · Ages 9-13
A girl crosses into the world of The Snow Queen to save a friend. Real-world loneliness runs through the fantasy.
Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon
The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell
Chris Colfer · Ages 8-12
Twins fall into a book of fairy tales and meet Red Riding Hood and Goldilocks. First of a long series.
Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon
The Princess and the Goblin
George MacDonald · Ages 8-12
Princess Irene is chased by goblins, and a miner boy helps. A Victorian fairy tale that still reads easily.
Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon
Cinder
Marissa Meyer · Ages 12-16
Cinderella as a cyborg mechanic in futuristic Beijing. Starts the Lunar Chronicles.
Watch for: Some romance and violence; best for 12 and up.
Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon
More lists
Top 16 folk tales from around the world
Folk tales are the oldest stories that kids still enjoy.
Top 10 books about Greek myths for kids
Greek myths are the usual starting point for mythology.
Top 15 fantasy books for ages 9 to 12
The middle-grade years are the peak of fantasy reading.
Top 14 adventure books for kids ages 6 to 12
Adventure stories put a child in a hard place with a problem to solve: a wilderness, an island, a quest, a chase.
Top 12 fantasy books for ages 6 to 8
These are talking animals, magic doorways and small heroes, written plainly enough for new independent readers or good as a read-aloud.
Top 14 fantasy books for younger teens (ages 12 and up)
These are the bridge from children's fantasy to adult epic fantasy.
Top 10 books about Norse myths for kids
Norse myths (Thor, Odin, Loki, Asgard) are popular with kids who know them from Marvel films, and the original stories are different and often funnier.
Top 12 books of Egyptian myths and legends from around the world
These books cover ancient Egypt and then range across Africa, India, China, the Pacific Northwest and Britain.